The L-1649 has is getting a new glass cockpit

**dharris** · July 18th, 2014, 16:20

http://www.dlbs.de/en/59/SuperStar-N...-die-SuperStar

Donated by Honeywell.

**Firekitten** · July 19th, 2014, 03:02

Tragic... forcing a classic aircraft to have a glass cockpit to carry passengers... next it will need emergency slides and TVs for certification. *sigh*

**mrogers** · July 19th, 2014, 03:21

Nothing tragic about it Firekitten, I see it as just a progressive step in it's direction towards it's certification to carry passengers commercially like any other modern airliner. It makes sense after I read the article. It will look great with that new glass cockpit.

**dharris** · July 19th, 2014, 05:58

The fact that she will be able to do again what she was designed to do is what really matters. Sure it would be nice to see her in the original state, but remember too that she had a lot of changes since the original concept plane. I applaud Lufthansa for taking on this challenge and putting her back in the air where she belongs. We have enough static displays around, we need more that do the job set out for them. I have over two thousand hours flying in r7v's and wv-2's and I have to say, I never got tired of it. Loved those 13 14 hour flights on the Pacific barrier.

**Dumonceau** · July 19th, 2014, 06:13

Originally Posted by Firekitten

Tragic... forcing a classic aircraft to have a glass cockpit to carry passengers... next it will need emergency slides and TVs for certification. *sigh*

Well, if all of those things are needed for safety (except the TV's of course) then that would be the sensible thing to do. I agree that vintage/classic planes should be preserved, but if and when they are used to transport people on a regular commercial basis, then safety comes first.

In the light of recent events this seems to be obvious to me. Imagine that plane venturing into North Korean airspace unknowingly...

Just my two €cents worth of course...

Dumonceau

**dharris** · July 19th, 2014, 06:38

We already know what would happen over north korea, one of ours did in '69 no warning shot out of the sky by two north korean jets. My they were brave shooting down an unarmed wv-2. Of course we did retaliate, NOT.

**Dumonceau** · July 19th, 2014, 06:50

Originally Posted by dharris

We already know what would happen over north korea, one of ours did in '69 no warning shot out of the sky by two north korean jets. My they were brave shooting down an unarmed wv-2. Of course we did retaliate, NOT.

The differnce being that a WV-2 is a military plane, and L-1649 is a civvie plane... The WV-2 had no business in Korean airspace and the Koreans had every right to shoot it down. Officially they were and still are at war. The bottom line is that military planes are legitimate targets. Civvie planes are not. Like the iranian airliner shot down by the US over the Gulf was not a legitimate target.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

Dumonceau

**dharris** · July 19th, 2014, 07:21

She was not in korean airspace, I flew these missions on several occasions, we never strayed close to their airspace because of their insane reactions. Flew as electronics tech aboard wv-2's for years, we knew what and where to be at all times. We flew up and down the korean coast never getting close to their airspace.

***Bushpounder*** · July 19th, 2014, 16:22

That glass makes it so much safer to operate. The ones in museums should show how it was. The ones flying for revenue should be as safe as possible. This will do just that. I can't wait to see her when finished. I grew up crawling around in / on these things. Beautiful plane.

Don

**mirage3** · July 25th, 2014, 11:18

I like see modern with classic style on planes... thinking at the Basler BT-67....

Then by all the upgrades we make at Military aircrafts you think they don't are to do?

Safety first-style then:thumbup:

**vl82m** · July 26th, 2014, 04:08

Wouldn't a retrofitted GPS/FMC system, VBE altimeter and TCAS be enough for the certification? As this is how several old Soviet built aircraft are still operating today. Not to mention all the old Boeings operating in Iran.

Would be wiser to just fit the necessary RNAV instrumentation and leave everything else as it is, as I doubt this will be safer as the L-1649 was not built to be a glass cockpit airliner.